Holy Hurt: New book aims to help those who have experienced spiritual trauma, alert faith leaders to its reality

 

When psychologist Hillary McBride encountered clients from religious backgrounds who had been hurt by their churches, she found their challenges didn’t fit into standard psychological categories—they weren’t only dealing with anxiety or depression, but also with fear of God’s anger and judgment. 

They were experiencing spiritual trauma, which McBride defines as hurt caused by abuse in a religious setting, including the hurt that results from doctrines that emphasize a harsh and punitive God and the worthlessness and wickedness of individual believers. 

Those experiences prompted her to write Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing (Brazos Press). 

McBride’s goals with the book is to help those experiencing spiritual trauma know they aren’t alone and that there is a path for recovery. She also wants to help faith leaders understand that spiritual trauma is real and that they have a role in preventing it—and to bridge the worlds of psychology and religion that are often kept far apart.

Read my interview with McBride about spiritual trauma in the Free Press. 

Are Gen Zers returning to church? Yes, some are, but religion scholars say it's too soon to call it trend

 

Are younger people returning to church? That’s what’s being reported about Gen Zers — people born between 1997 and 2012 — in places in Canada, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. That’s what’s being reported by some church leaders in the United Kingdom, Canada and in the U.S. 

Those who are writing about it say it’s happening because Gen Zers feel “lonely, isolated, anxious and fearful about the future. The promises of secularism for progress and freedoms simply have not delivered for them,” as one minister put it. 

Added to that is the unsettled and uncertain political situation in the U.S. and around the world, along with the employment challenges caused by tariffs and artificial intelligence for many in that generation. 

Those who study religion acknowledge something is happening, but say it is too early to call it a trend, with one saying there’s no data suggesting sizable conversion rates occurring among Gen Z in Canada or elsewhere. “We are not talking about a revival,” he says, suggesting church leaders need to be careful when talking about it. 

Read more about this in my Free Press column.

Photo above from On Mission.

 

A sampling of Winnipeg faith coverage over the past few weeks

I mostly post my Winnipeg Free Press columns on this blog. But I also regularly write news stories about faith in Winnipeg. (Four to eight stories a month.) So I thought I’d share a few of those from the past month so people can see how the Free Press is covering this aspect of life in Winnipeg. All my stories can be found here.

‘Sign of our welcome’: mural transforms plain-looking Prairie Spirit United Church entrance into inviting space (Photo above)

‘It’s our mission’: Inner-city church driven to help refugees 

Local faith groups express optimism after Canada’s formal recognition of Palestine 

‘Refreshing and uplifting’: Winnipeg Jews, Christians meet to promote dialogue

Plaque unveiled to honour Western Canada’s chief rabbi 

Winnipeg Catholics can pay tribute to ‘saint in sneakers’ 

Mennonite church treaty people tour provides a chance to pause, ponder 

Church branches out to beautify riverbank with help of non-profit 

 

‘You are not alone’: retired social worker takes time to listen during cross-Canada tour

In a polarized and divided world, where many may feel lonely and isolated, Paul Jenkinson has a message: “You are not alone. I will listen.” 

That’s what it says on a sign the 71-year-old retired social worker plunks down in public spaces from Nova Scotia to Manitoba as he makes his way across the country to B.C. 

“My goal is to simply listen,” said Jenkinson, a divorced father of two and grandfather of six who is on a cross-country journey that started in in May and is set to conclude in November. 

And people sit down with him—about 600 so far. After each person shares, Jenkinson asks if he can respond and tell them about his life. 

“I’m not offering counsel, just a conversation,” he said. “I just want to be there for people. I want to remind them they aren’t alone.” 

Read my story about Jenkinson’s tour in the Free Press.